Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-18
sa1TCHMEN STRIKE.
ION OF the Southern Pac Lie
re nnstou stop Work and No
/" trains Are Moving.
AN, states Its Side of the Case
., CS1PaD swHchmen State Theirs.
A Variance

slFIls ,Unecting lires has been discon-
r'n nds all freight trains abandoned
s'as. trough trains. All switch en-
9'P. w ordered in the round house
G's abroad officials and the fires put
8 ~ 'D' =. . o'clock this afternoon an order
sis ,ssnsd to make up train to go east.
Is l y the road engines was ordered out
Q's t ~ ~ train consisting CT cars and a
W W wss coupled together by Train
s. so9v.'1 ones. After the conductor had
ss :s.d train orders to leave 1t was
rc ~. hat 70 brekemen were available.
t'yu ne ock to night everything was
Int no trains have yet LETT this city
ss s' or west. Your importer IN
i. E.s,Ted the officials otthe road and also
n.suitcbmen concerning the existing
Y: s,rIt,es and obtained the foil wing
l.,4 t,om both sides. The following is
E s lent of Southern Pacific officials:
.'s'F rid.y November II, the
" gl,.ton yard switchmen of
H.l'''lS Southern Pacific Company
p'..r.sd 6 petition to the superin-
pIssnt Mr.. Van Week, demanding an
l. Loss. of wages to $50 for day foreman
~ ss5 for night foremen and $3.50 per
y, ~ ior sBitchmen. Mr.. Van Week re-
w Pa the men cOurteously and took the
|.,tsr nader consideration. On Sunday
=, Erutschnitt, assistant manager, met
:. - committee Of the switchmen in HOus-
~ and exclaimed 10 them that their
..,itinn had been handed to the manage
F.rt and would receive careful consid-
.,,fion. bu. that it would be
in,ossible to give an answer in the short
.,,Ie Of time that the men demanded, but
,k,t the matter would receive immediate
.,rsideratiOn and an answer be gwen as
r,omDtly as possible. The committee
firnresssd themselves well satisfied with
sa wsy they had been received, and per-
i.s,ly satisfied with waiting, knowing
heir petiriOn was being considered. Ga
wednesday, about 9 s. m, they waited on
Sunerirtendent Van Week and demanded
N immediate answer. 1t was explained to
bsm that sutfi lent time had hardly
MISSED to get one and that he had as yet
no, heSrd from the management, but eX-
pscted to do so daily, asking them at the
same time to be patient and reminding
them Of their promise at the Sundays
interview. He also stated to them that
S their evident OBJECT was 10 have the
Increase, if granted, effective on the 18th,
int be WoulG not let any deisY that had
occurred act to their prejudice, and if
the petition WAS granted that he would
make it spply from the l. h.
TIE committee returned at l2;45 p. n.
the same day, and asked il the answer
hsd been received, end on being told not
YET they stated tha. they had dsttrni8ed
% stop Ill work in the yard until they got
90 answer. Immediately thereafter al
thamen went out on a strike. This morn
Ing shout $3.50 o'clock Mr.. K9ittschpitt
mel the BODY Of men in the yard and eX
piined to them that the delay in getting
81 slsWer was unavoidable, that their
seton was hssty end unreasonable, and
ended By asking them to make
Up their minds TO return to work await
ngan answer, s1d thao everything would
be overlooked Atl0:30 q. m. their com
ntieemen positively refused to work un-
less they got Sn Immediate answer, which
e)uld not be given as the management
bad not been heard from. Their men
we're fully exclaimed this, and on being
szed By the assistant manager whether
they positively refused to go to their
pests sad perform the accustomed duties,
taeY refused outright. They were then
Told that under the circumstances
they must consider their places vacant
ana hey would endeavor to carry on It's
SOiE without their assistance. II his
leervleW with the men Mr.. Kra'z drew
nsf attention to the fact that 1t was al
most the universal custom with railroads
divide the tWeuty-fOur hours inCo two
SUNS Of equal length for the night and
Wy pen. This is the practice in Calves
WI snd most of the yards il Texas. The
Aenlon OF the mn was also called to
@' laCs that the Southern Pac & COM
g49y was paving it's switcbmen
sll loFemen more money than any other
5ysl in Texas, the Houston and Texas
NaIa being the only one that pays as
~uVa' Indeed, the attention of the men
nealed to the fsct that in the St. Louis
!a.l' winch is reputed to be the hardest
:. 1e United States, the foremen drew
' /" pe. month less than they did, and the
,s,a Nv pay wasp rscticslly the same,
~ ~ men working twelve hours eScn
. nSNl' The men were also told that the
s.upSny felt themselves very ungen-
H HUIsY and irjustly treated mas
d.! IS 1t had always paid TO
s,. .ss employees the very highest wages
ff.,smsalHag IN the state of Texas, or even
Il ne Whole south.
aItF obtaining the above statement
NJ Nv 'ne Cil;isls, several OF the switch
= TI1gss7u IN the strike were interview
s., 1ae grievances are as follows: The
,s9 !s'Nltcduen work 10 hours per day and
ts s,-,s g 10, while the night men work
NJ ,,'u loofs and receive 50 % per nigh.
Inn ALsat men want reduc-
6,.s 10 10 hours ard raise of
n, night and Gay men to 50 so
Bay, Wy; This pr:c2 they claim is most
P.rSSulaole, as they ssy that the Sou bern
bs a. !arC Is the hardest in the country
s,,otA H. They further sts.e that they
a. 80 upon the off ;ialS on last Friday,
hs, '-S' detaite susWer was promised
hin lhuay. That they were disap-
sssin ~ - IAIs respect, anu LAey went
G.gT IN va Iuesdsy, and on Wednesday
6s,1t , ~ 6 Mr.. Van VIect, superinten-
IAN =. . Z. m, who promised 10 give
lila Gttep!y II two hours, which ne
Qojt ~ " 40: At y O'Clock they decided TO
0,ds, @S'A' Ine strikers ssy that they were
ns,,S not 10 interfere with the COM
en3 = property, which they DO not in
o,I ~ 20, nut v,,ll arda,vor - y,o-puedo
n,6m.ttE on taki0g their places. The
o5si11 tt say that they will endeavor to
sEi,r-,'ue cooperation of the other
ease , 1.Sl IN the city and to get them to
I'd - 11luilng Southern Pacific freight
ees,aV eiSo Induce the switchmen on the
N.r AIautlc division of the road from